


The Lily and the Chained Man

by LockeHegemon (orphan_account)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Explicit Language, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-05 21:44:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12803013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/LockeHegemon
Summary: Jason Tides is a farmer who keeps to himself and just wants some peace and quiet. Like all farmers, however, the life he left behind is going to catch up with him eventually.Lillivander just wants to save his people and his home from destruction. Unfortunately he needs the Chained Man to do it. Will the promise of freedom be enough to get the help he needs?*On Hiatus*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my 2017 Nanowrimo. It's going to be different than the stories that I've posted in the past, but I hope that you all enjoy it!
> 
> No matter what, on Dec 1 I will go back to working on my other stories. So if this isn't up your alley, check back around Dec 8th for an update on my other works!
> 
> As always please read the warnings and don't read if it isn't your cup of tea.

The first winter frost had come early this year. It was barely the first week of November, Jason Tides stood on his front porch and looked out on a glittering scene, his back pasture covered in mist and a twinkling of ice as far as the eye could perceive. He blew into his gloved hands to warm them, the smell of wood smoke drifting in with the dawn. Already his neighbors were firing up their wood stoves and fireplaces.

                Jason crunched through the icy grass towards the barn, eyes still bleary with sleep. He flipped on the lone overhead light, at least the heater had done its job in the night and it was warm in the dimly lit building. In one corner a silver doe bent her head, knocking her short horns against her mate’s larger rack, she whinnied restlessly and shuffled her golden hooves.

                “It’s alright girl. Just me,” the dark-haired man grumbled as he dragged the milking stool and pail over to the jittery deer. The stag looked up with suspicious gold eyes, huffing his own discontent as Jason plopped down. “You too Bruce? Guess I’m not very popular this morning.” He chuckled to himself, leaning down to reach under the doe and begin milking, but she made another anxious noise and hopped away.

                “Hey, hey,” Jason held up his big hands. “Easy Jules, I told you there’s nothing…” brown eyes squinted as the man realized the doe wasn’t looking at him in fear. She was shying away from something in the shadowed corner behind him. The bearded man let his breath out slowly, hand sliding back to the pistol he kept strapped at his hip.

                “There’s nothing to worry about,” in one fluid motion, Jason turned around and pointed his pistol into the dark. “Alright, whoever’s in there might as well just come on out.”

                He stood motionless, brown eyes trying and failing to see what had his animals so ill at ease. The dark-haired man breathed in slowly, trying to smell a change in the air, but it still smelled like fresh hay and animals. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just as he was about to shrug and write the whole thing off as a bit of a false start to the morning, maybe some residual paranoia from his last job; he heard a loud cough.

                “Ugh, oh Goddess.” The young man tripped into the glow of the one overhead light, holding his side and coughing. “Don’t you blink? I thought humans were supposed to blink. That was like… five full minutes without blinking.”

                “Excuse me?” Jason set his jaw and tightened his grip on the pistol. He really wasn’t in the mood for practical jokers or thieves this morning. “Did you just call me a human?”

                “Huh? I mean…” bright green eyes looked up at Jason from where the smaller man was still bent over, mostly talking to the floor. “Are-are you not? Human, I mean.” He sucked his full bottom lip into his mouth in an endearing look of consternation.

                “Yeah, I’m human,” Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew where this was going, he just didn’t want to go there. Not right now, in his barn, before the sun had even really risen. “Are you trying to let me know that you’re not? What are you then?”

                “Uh, well,” the young man wiped his hands on his ratty pants and looked around as if for inspiration. “I am looking for the Chained Man.”

                Jason blinked several times in surprise. He hadn’t been called ‘The Chained Man’ in years. He slowly lowered his weapon and sighed, brushing his free hand through his hair. “Alright kid,”

                “It’s Lillivander actually.”

                “Alright Lillivander,” he frowned. What the hell kind of name was that? Shaking his head, the dark-haired man turned to head out of the barn. “I guess you’d better come inside. You’re spooking my deer anyway.”

                “I’m not spooking them.” Lillivander argued, following closely behind as Jason started walking back to the farmhouse. “ _Dainn_ love me. I think it’s because the doe is pregnant. You know they’re such delicate and in tune creatures. You shouldn’t keep them inside a warded enclosure like that its…”

                The dark eyed man tuned out the other’s prattling. He had more serious things to consider. How had this stranger learned of who he was? Where he was? And was it that his blessed wood hadn’t been strong enough to keep the interloper out, or was Lillivander just weak enough to slip through? He looked pretty harmless.  Jason held the door open and the little blonde headed inside with a happy sound.

                “It’s really warm in here. I haven’t been properly warm like this in days. I thought humans used electric heat, why do you have wood? Not that I mind wood, of course, it feels more natural to me. What other human things do you not…”

                “Would you shut up for half a second?” Jason cut in, putting up a hand to still the constant chatter. Normally he would have relented at the look of dejection on the other’s face, but his patience was wearing thin and fast. “Who told you where to find me?”

                “Well I was staying with this coven, out near Oklahoma,” the blonde started pensively winding his finger in a hole in his shirt as he talked.

                “Witch coven or Vampire coven?” Jason headed into the kitchen as he listened. “Do you eat?”

                “Vampire.” Grey eyes peered around the corner to watch him. Though Jason could have sworn that they were green only minutes before. “I do eat.” He seemed to hesitate for a moment before chewing his lip. “But we don’t have time to eat. We have to get moving now!”

                “Look kid.” The bearded man sighed, pacing over to his kitchen table and pulling out a wooden chair. “I’ll listen to your story, I’ll decide if I can help you…”

                “You have to help me! You’re the only one…” Lillivander cut in earnestly.

                “IF, I can help you.” Jason said again loudly. “But I’m hungry and you ruined my breakfast by scaring my deer. So you sit here,” he started to point at the chair but the grey eyed young man started chattering again, shuffling his feet and wringing his hands.

                “I’ve told you, I didn’t scare the _Dainn._ She was just upset because… And I need your help and you’re the only one who can do it. And we have to go now, there isn’t enough time. Why are you acting like this? I thought you were a hero!” The strange man threw his hands up in the air, looking close to tears.

                “Okay, okay.” Jason raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Take a deep breath, we’ll figure this out. Alright?” He clapped the other on the shoulder, and for one instant Lillivander looked… changed. But it was gone so fast that the man shook his head, electing to ignore it for now. “I’m no ones hero, but I do know a thing or two. So I can tell you with absolute certainty that sitting down and grabbing a bite to eat isn’t going to change things in the long run. Now, sit.”

                The grey eyed young man plopped down into the chair finally, resting his head in his hands and looking drawn, like he hadn’t so much as thought of sitting down to a hot meal in too long. Jason scrubbed his hand through his hair again in consternation. He should just put the kid back out on his doorstep and send him along to bug some other unfortunate would be ‘hero’. Maybe he still would, but the least he could do was send the other off with something warm in his belly.

                “So, you were telling me how you ended up in my barn this morning.”


	2. Lily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter with some backstory on Lillivander, it will probably be merged with another chapter or lengthened eventually. Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> I ended up lengthening this chapter since it felt incomplete.

               “Okay,” Lilly combed his fingers through his long blonde locks, thinking back through the tangle of weeks he’d endured to get to this moment. His body ached from the cold and his long travels, and despite his insistence that they had to leave this moment his mouth watered at the smell of cooking eggs and sausage; the spice warming cinnamon bread. “As I said, I was staying with the Overland coven near Oklahoma.”

                Well, staying wasn’t really the correct phrasing, it was more like he was hiding with them for his own protection. That point didn’t seem important to tell Jason, so he glossed over it. The normally chatty young man considered his words carefully. He hadn’t expected the Chained Man would be so gruff and… well average looking. No story tale back home would have featured this bear of a man, with his dark eyes and beard.

                “I need someone to help me take back an ancient weapon. Something that was forged decades ago to aid my people in our time of greatest need. But I uh,” he looked at his slender white fingers with distaste. “I can’t get to it. The woman who has it now, the one who stole it from us, her home is like a fortress. I know the weapon is in there. I can… feel it.” He could feel the hum of magic even now. A distant throbbing and a faint buzzing in his ears. Then he remembered laying his hands on the protected iron gates and the screaming, scorching, all-encompassing pain.

                Grey eyes glanced up to see the human watching him with a guarded expression. Before the dark-haired man could prompt him, Lilly tried to refocus on his tale. “I knew I needed a human to come with me. Someone who wouldn’t be affected by her powers or spells. The Overland’s told me that you would have the skills to get me in and out with the weapon, and I have something I can pay you with. Something that you would value enough to come with me.”

                Jason didn’t seem to react to his vague promises, simply setting two plates filled with eggs and sausage on the table. He buttered a piece of bread liberally, leaving the rest in a cloth covered basket. “How do you take your coffee?” He said finally, turning to a strange glass container filled with dark liquid.

                “What? That’s all you have to say! What is coffee?” Lilly closed his eyes in frustration. “I-I don’t even care what that is. I take it with you. To go. With me. To save my home! Are you even listening?”

                “I’m not surprised that you’ve never heard of coffee. And I am listening,” the dark-haired man added milk to his strange concoction and sipped it with a pleased sound. “So, here’s the problem.” He sat down with the mug in his hands and looked at the blonde for a moment. “Number one, I’m assuming you’re probably some kind of Prince or maybe a warrior, right?”

“The second one,” Lilly mumbled, taking a bite his food. Jason’s poor attitude was ruining what would have otherwise been a delicious meal.

                “Really?” His thick eyebrows rose in surprise. “Alright then, so you’re a warrior from some secluded…” he paused. “I’d say a Fae village from looking at you. You don’t know humans, this is probably your first time away from home in your life. And I’m not really keen on the idea of playing your babysitter while you try and figure out what the hell you’re doing.”

                The grey eyed man opened his mouth to retort, feeling a wave of fury so potent it was making him physically nauseous. Just who under the blessed Sun did this human think he was? Jason held up his hand before Lily could respond.

                “Second, just from the story you’ve told me, and what I guess you could call my shitometer, is telling me; I’m going to assume the woman you’re talking about is either the Ash Queen herself, or at least one her powerful generals.” Here the human paused to sip his coffee and take a bite of bread.

                “And finally, whatever prize you’re offering, even as amazing as you think it is, probably isn’t worth the ridiculous skullfuckery you’re trying to tangle me up in. So, no. I really don’t think I want to get mixed up in all of this. Not to mention the fact that I’m…”

                “I can unbind your soul from Uriel.”

                “Reti-what?”

 

                 Jason set his mug down and stared into it for a long, disbelieving moment. His soul, unbound, in his possession once more. It was something he hadn’t let himself believe was possible in such a long time, he’d even managed to convince himself that he was alright without it. That this aimless, passionless, half-life wasn’t that bad. He chewed a piece of sausage slowly, trying to weigh his options dispassionately while the blossom of new hope burned in his chest.

                “How?” Was all he could think to say after a long, dizzy silence.

                “Well,” Lillivander played with his fork, the pure silver didn’t burn his fingers. At least the dark-haired man could take comfort in the fact that whatever this grey eyed creature was, he was a natural magic user. “With magic obviously. It’s a spell left over from the war.” He licked his lips nervously, shoulders hunched. “A spell to take a soul from its host.”

                “What the hell would you need that kind of magic… Oh.” Jason grimaced, he knew all sorts of terrible things a human soul could be used for. “And how do I know that unbinding it will allow it to come back to me? What if it just winds up back in hell?”

                “We’re not angels, Jason.” Lilly wrinkled his nose in distaste. “This isn’t some hack and slash job. The human’s whose souls we used got them back.”

                “Oh yeah, I’m sure they were totally undamaged after all that as well.” The man rolled his dark eyes. Still… he was tempted. The blonde looked like he was going to keep arguing, so Jason simply shook his head. “Alright, fine. I’ll help you out. Then we’ll see if this spell of yours is worth something.”

                “You will?” Lilly looked like he could vibrate right out of the chair, he was so excited. “Thank you, Jason. I knew you were a hero just like they said. I knew it would be…”

                “Easy there, kid.” The bearded man took another bite of bread with a put-upon sigh. “You came to me, so we’re going to do this my way. I’m not going to come out of this with your death on my conscience. Not if I can help it.”

                The grey eyed man breathed a sigh of relief, finally digging into his food with a nod. “That’s fine. As long as you help me, I’ll do anything you ask. Just, uh, just so you know; I’m not a kid. I’m an adult.”

                “Yeah? Let me be the judge of that.”


	3. Butting Heads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Jason and Lillivander find some common ground, or will their incompatible personalities spell doom for the adventure before it even really begins?

               Jason Tides would never have considered himself to be a particular man. He could deal with mess, he did alright dealing with people in his space; and while he has a preference on how some things were done, he wasn’t about to get up in arms over something as innocuous as a little humming. The thing was, Lilly seemed to be literally made up of annoying noises and fidgeting. The diminutive blonde hadn’t stopped moving since they’d cleared away the breakfast dishes. Every slight movement was accompanied by a sigh, a giggle, and at no point did the kid stop prattling on about… just everything.

                “… and I had never even SEEN such a huge garden before. I mean what do vampires even want with a bunch of flowers and trees and stuff? They’re nocturnal for goodness sake! Anyway, like I was saying…”

                The dark eyed man watched as his strange companion paced about, touching everything on the walls and looking at photos that Jason couldn’t even relate to anymore. They were from his old life, from a time when he had human connections and those meant something. He could look at the framed pictures now and barely remember whatever event they’d been from. The people he’d built a life around seemed as if they existed behind a glass wall. He could recognize them, look back on times he’d loved or cared for them, but now it was all so much smoke.

                “…is that human thing, do you think? You have to keep animals around you to make you feel like you have control or-or like they can…”

                “Shut up! Can you do that for me, kid? Just shut the hell up and be still. I can’t even hear myself fucking think.” He almost felt bad when grey eyes looked at him, surprised and sad. It was a look he was used to getting from everyone around him, but it felt worse coming from this stranger. Lilly perched uneasily on the arm of his leather reading chair, white little hands folded in his lap.

                “Thanks.” The bearded man didn’t apologize, what would be the point? “Why don’t we consider that the first rule, okay? If I look like I’m thinking about something, I need you to keep quiet and let me figure it out.”

                “Yeah, whatever.” Lilly picked at his nails discontentedly, his shoulders hunched up once more. He clearly wasn’t comfortable with this dynamic, which was why Jason had to be firm and clear. Letting someone else’s pride or feelings on the matter dictate how he handled things always ended up getting the tall man in trouble.

                “Drop the attitude,” he continued. “You wanted my help, remember?”

                “You know what,” the blonde stood up, placing his hands on his hips. “How about you drop your attitude?” Jason gaped at him for a moment in surprise, and before he could think of a good retort, Lilly steamed right ahead. “Yeah, I do need your help. In fact, you’re the only one who can help me. But I’m the only one who’s trying to help you right now too.  Including yourself.”

                The dark-haired man blinked, totally taken aback. No one had dared speak to him like that… probably since before he’d given up his soul.

                “Oh, and by the way, there’s nothing noble about suffering in silence out in the middle of nowhere. Especially if you’re going to be an asshole to everyone who comes to you for help. I’m not the one who did this to you. I’m just the unlucky sap who had to come here and grovel for your fucking attention. So why don’t you stick your martyr complex right up your ass and start figuring out a way to really help me?”

                Lillivander breathed softly, hands clenched into fists at his side. He glowered at Jason for a long moment, and the man saw it again. Something about him… changed. He had a kind of shimmering aura, just for a split second, and then it was gone again. Whatever magic the blonde was protecting himself with, he was losing control of it.

                “You-I was really concerned when I saw you in the barn,” the grey eyed man was still scolding him. Jason stood as well, taking a step closer and Lilly didn’t shrink back. If anything, he leaned forward, eyes flashing with anger. “I was thinking, man what kind of person am I getting myself involved with here. Well you… W-what are you doing?”

                The brown-haired man reached out, his dark hand large as it touched the other’s clothed shoulder. “Show me,” he insisted softly.

                “What? I’m not showing you anything. Get off!” Lilly shrilled as he tried to wrench his body out of Jason’s hand, but the larger man held fast.

                “It’s alright. I’m kind of an asshole, but I’m not that kind of asshole. Show me.” He wrapped his free hand around the other slim shoulder as the blonde struggled futilely. “Lillivander,” grey eyes looked into his own pleadingly, but he had to see what was hiding under all that magic. One dark eye glowed faintly blue as they looked at one another. “I’m not going to hurt you. Show me.”

                With a shuddering breath, the blonde closed his eyes, tears leaking sluggishly down his face. The strange shimmer faded away and Jason whipped his hands away as if burned. “Blessed sun, kid. What the hell happened to you?”

 

                “I told you,” Lilly rubbed his fingers together anxiously. “My home is under attack. I barely made it out with my life. That’s why we must go now. There isn’t any time.”

                “No, you didn’t tell me you were this seriously injured.” Jason led the smaller man over to the couch he’d been sitting at. He felt a twinge of astonished pride that the other was even standing, considering how badly he was torn up. “You told me you needed help getting some weapon from the Ash Queen, not that you’d been attacked.”

                “Well,” Lilly made a soft noise as he was more or less forced to sit down on the couch. “It’s not like you gave me a chance to talk. You were all ‘rawr you’re not worth my time’.” He winced when Jason brushed his ragged blonde hair away from his face, taking his chin in thumb and forefinger to turn his face side to side. There was a livid bruise, just barely beginning to go sickly green around the edges, that spanned from his right cheekbone almost to his chin.

                “Fair enough,” the bearded man sighed as he started to lift what was left of a very bloody shirt off the other. Three sizeable gashes in his side were too deep to heal on their own, still bleeding sluggishly. “Hold up a fucking second.” The dark-skinned man narrowed his eyes at the blushing creature. “How long were you in Oklahoma? These wounds look hours old.”

                Grey eyes avoided his intense glare, but Jason was having none of it. He prodded the nasty wounds indelicately until the smaller man yelped. “Okay! Okay, I didn’t go to Oklahoma. I-I ran out of the woods and went straight to the Ash Queen. She… she refused to help us. So, I tried to break in on my own.”

                “Fuck me, kid. When the hell were you going to let me in on this, huh? You were seriously going to go storm her fortress of a house bleeding half to death and take me with you? And she knows you’re probably skulking around trying to get in anyway. So, she’s totally prepared for you to show the hell up?” With a growl of pure frustration, the dark-haired man took his own advice and shut up. The more he talked about this incredibly shitty situation, the more he wanted to throttle the fair-haired man sitting on his couch.

                “I’m sorry,” Lilly ground out as his swollen ankle was hiked up and inspected. “Maybe if you’d been a little more approachable when I first showed up, I would have been more forthcoming.”

                “This is beyond my abilities to heal.” Jason said finally, he held out his hand to help the other stand once more. “Come on, I’ll show you where to get cleaned up and get you some clothes. Then we’re going to have a long conversation about what shit you absolutely don’t keep from me if you want me to have any part in this whole fucking mess.”

                “Fine,” the grey eyed man took his hand, leaning on him heavily. “But we’re also going to talk about your filthy mouth and the level of respect I deserve from you. Also, stop calling me kid.”

                Jason snorted dismissively. Like hell they were.


	4. Riggs' Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason takes Lilly to see a friend of his and a powerful healer who might be able to help them. Even more secrets come into the light.

                Lillivander groaned as the steaming water flowed over his back. Muscles he’d never felt before were sore from running for his life and spending hours in the freezing cold. There was also the fact that he was seriously beginning to regret making the arduous trip all the way out here to find the fabled Chained Man. If, and it was a big if, if Jason could even help him, the human was so angry and disillusioned with the world that they hadn’t even started planning their attack and the blonde was already sick of him. If he’d had any other choice… well it didn’t matter now. There wasn’t another choice.

                Once he’d finally warmed up and relaxed enough to move again, Lilly started to scrub the dirt and blood out of his tangled hair. It normally hung almost to his hips, but the past few days the man had been tempted to just hack it all off with whatever sharp thing he could find. It was a status symbol, however, and that part of him that was hopeful things would go back to normal soon had forced him to leave it be. Soap stung the myriad of small cuts and scrapes on his body, but he covered the still badly bleeding claw wounds with his hand as Jason had instructed.

                The only clothes that the other man had available even close to his size looked more like pajamas than anything, but Lilly wasn’t about to be choosy. He was overjoyed to finally peel off his filthy clothes and dump them in the garbage where they belonged. But the shower had taken what little energy he had left, and he swayed slightly in front of the bathroom mirror as he combed out his long tresses.

                “Do you have a blow dryer?” He knew Jason was just in the other room, probably waiting to scold him about taking too long getting clean.

                “You’re kidding, right? Have you seen my hair?” Came the exasperated response. Seriously, it wasn’t going to kill this guy to calm down and be civil.

                “Whatever,” Lilly muttered to himself as he carefully braided his hair and looped it into a simple bun. It was still a cold, damp, lump on the back of his neck, but at least it wouldn’t soak his shirt. “I’m finished. Thanks for the shower,” he mumbled as he opened the bathroom door. Just because the dark eyed man was an unrepentant asshole didn’t mean that he was going to be rude.

                “Don’t worry about it.” Jason was shrugging on his heavy coat, gesturing to another on the bed. “My buddy is going to put us in contact with a healer who can check you out today. We can get some stuff in town for you too, since we just trashed all of your clothes.”

                “I appreciate it.” The blonde gritted out as he slipped into the oversized coat. If the taller man noticed any change in his demeanor, he didn’t comment on it.

 

                They’d been driving in tense silence for almost a half hour and, for a man who enjoyed peace and quiet, Jason was starting to get a little unnerved by it. Lillivander sat stiff and staring straight at the road ahead of them. The bearded man didn’t think he would miss the usual chatter so quickly. Maybe he was going soft having been out of the game for so long, but this stoic side of the blonde was kind of unnerving. Of course, who was he to judge? They hadn’t known each other but a scant few hours.

                “Riggs is his name, by the way.” The dark-haired man said once the silence between them became unbearable. “My friend who’s going to get the healer.” Grey eyes stayed glued to the road, and the early morning light illuminated the dark circles underneath them. With a grunt of annoyance, Jason forced himself to keep talking. “He’s a good guy, been friends for a long time. You’ll like the healer too, June’s kind of an intense gal, but she’ll take good care of you.”

                Still nothing. It shouldn’t have bothered him so much, and what was really annoying was how annoying he found the silence. Maybe it was because the kid looked so banged up. Tired. The dark-skinned man knew what it was like to feel tired like that, tired in your bones. Exhausted to your core. And maybe the whole thing made him feel like a pretty big asshole.

                “Listen, Lillivander.” He brushed a hand through his short hair and squinted at the road in thought. “I… don’t see people much anymore. It’s not a good excuse, but I guess… Maybe I should have given you a chance to… whatever. I should have given you more of a chance.”

                “It’s Lilly,” the smaller man murmured finally. He shifted in his seat, finally dropping his rigid stance. “My friends call me Lilly.” He licked his plump bottom lip and Jason was embarrassed at the way his eyes tracked the movement. “N-not that we’re friends. I’m not saying that, it’s just easier.”

                “Okay Lilly,” the dark eyed man grinned for a flash of a moment, and then it was gone. This was better than furious silence at least.

 

                “Jason Tides in my bar again, I never thought I’d see the day.” Riggs was a handsome man, Lilly would have considered him tall if he wasn’t standing next to Jason. He was a little lighter of skin, blue eyes, and totally bald, but the two men could have been brothers. They shook hands a little awkwardly.

                “It’s good to see you, Riggs. This is…” Lilly was looking around the room with interest. He’d heard of human bars, of course, and it was a little bit like the village tavern back home. The wall of glass bottles twinkling faintly behind the wooden counter was interesting, he’d never seen so many spirits in one place before. The grey eyed man made a soft sound as he was unceremoniously shoved behind Jason, the large man shielding him with his body.

                “Hey! Riggs! Look at me man, what the fuck is going on with you? HEY!” Lilly peeked over the other’s shoulder, stomach dropping in dread.

                The blue-eyed bar owner was panting softly, pupils blown wide and dark. His fingers flexed open and closed, dark claws starting to extend from under his finger nails. There was a nauseating crunch of bone as the man’s face started to shift, his heavy breathing transformed into the low growl of some huge, predatory animal.

                “Riggs, don’t make me do it man. Not you,” Jason reached behind himself, one hand grasping tight to Lilly’s wrist as the other wrapped solidly around his holstered weapon. “Come on buddy. Snap out of it!”

                The light skinned man put one foot back as though he were about to lunge.

                “Lu? What’s wrong baby? Something smells… Lucas!” A petite redhead peeked into the room, eyes going wide as she took in the scene before launching herself at the growling man. “Lucas! It’s alright. You’re okay, look into my eyes baby.” She reached up and Lilly started forward instinctually, but Jason held him back. The crazed man could easily rip her apart!

                “Lucas, my love. Come back to me,” her voice was so soft he could barely hear it over the other man’s angry noises. They stood toe to toe for a long moment, the tiny woman holding the beasts face in her tanned hands. Slowly, Riggs’ eyes started to return to normal. His hands hung limp at his sides, claws retracting as his breath heaved in his chest.

                “Juney? Wh-what’s going on?” The blue-eyed man held his head in confusion.

                “It’s alright love. Why don’t you sit down?” The redhead pulled out a barstool and helped Riggs into it slowly. “Jason, it’s been five years and you come back smelling like… like those animals?” Her eyes were bright violet as she turned around, but the color was fading fast. “What have you gotten yourself into?”

                Lilly flinched slightly as the bearded man turned to him, the grip on his wrist tightening down painfully. “Well, Lillivander? Why don’t you enlighten us all on what the hell is going on here?” Jason ground out between his teeth.

                Oh, he was so fucked.


	5. Juniper and the Lily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June and Lily have a brief heart to heart in her exam room and Jason comes to a very difficult decision.

               “A-are you sure it’s okay?” Lilly glanced back at the bar where Jason was rigidly pouring a drink for himself and Riggs. The dark eyed man had looked positively furious before June started to pull him towards the back room. The redhead shrugged and waved her hand carelessly.

                “Jason brought you here for treatment, right? So, let’s take a look at you, poor thing. And while I do that, you can tell me how you ended up so banged up, smelling like Blood-Claws of all things.” June opened a door in the darkened hallway, revealing a bright, clean room. It smelled clean, like lavender and sage.

                “Ah… Well I just, I needed his help.” Lilly hopped up on a shiny wooden table when the woman patted it gently. “And Jason is the only one can help me.”

                “Shirt off please,” June turned to a set of white cabinets, pulling a worrying array of metal tools and several large glass jars filled with powders and crushed leaves. The grey eyed man carefully peeled off Jason’s over-large shirt, wincing as it stuck to the deep gashes in his side. “That, that is what I was smelling. Goddess that stinks.” The redhead wrinkled her nose, covering the bottom half of her face with some kind of paper mask.

                “What do you mean?” He twisted around, trying to smell what the woman was talking about. The ragged wounds looked bad, worse than they had just an hour or so before, there was a black pattern of decaying veins around the oozing sores. Nothing he could smell, however, other than blood.

                “If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you’re already in way over your head.” June sat down on a tall rolling chair, bringing the tray stocked with her supplies with her. “Nothing I can do about your face,” she mumbled mostly to herself. “Your ankle is also going to simply take some time to heal, but I can mix you something to speed it along. What are you anyway?”

                Her clever green eyes flitted up to his for a moment as she mixed a measured scoop of powder into some water and started spreading it over her fingers. Lillivander swallowed nervously. This wasn’t turning out to be the moment of respite he had hoped it would be.

                “I-I’m just trying to save my home, my people.” He whispered after a moment.

                “Lay back,” June gently touched his chest and he complied. She didn’t push the issue, but for some reason he couldn’t keep quiet.

                “The… what did you call them? Blood-Claws? They came in the middle of the night. Werewolves, humans, even vampires. There must have been… I don’t know, fifty of them. I fought off the one who attacked me, I’m not even sure if she’s alive or dead. Just… I ran as fast and as far as I could.” He shivered convulsively as her cold fingers touched his warm stomach. “I swear I wasn’t trying to hurt your… to hurt Riggs.”

                “Lucas is my husband, and my blooded mate.” June explained gently. The blonde cringed as she pulled at the jagged edges of his wounds, opening them wider and prodding around inside. He dimly realized she was dipping her fingers in the paste she had made. “You didn’t hurt him, it’s just… well Blood-Claws are exiles. They’re cursed creatures that have forsaken our ways, take no Alpha, and use their Moon given gifts for money. Lucas was just protecting us. Don’t worry, after this the smell will fade.”

                Lillivander grit his teeth as she began to smear the paste into his wounds, they pulsed angrily, and a fevered sweat broke out all over his body. His hands clenched and flexed, toes curling as he tried to fight through the dizzying pain. It was like the tearing of flesh he’d felt when he’d been attacked, but over and over, multiplying in intensity. He reached for something to cling to, gripping only the smooth edges of the table as his vision began to go white at the edges.

                Before he lost conscience, he felt warm skin under his palm, saw the briefest glance of worried dark eyes swimming in his gaze. And then the pain became to much, and he surrendered to the dark.

 

                “He’s a pretty one, that’s for sure.” Riggs was trying to be casual, Jason could tell, but the man wasn’t any better at pretending than he’d been five years ago.

                “That’s not why I brought him here.” The dark-haired man muttered, sipping his whiskey and dragging a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket.

                “I didn’t say that. It’s just an observation.”

                Jason snorted disbelievingly as he lit a cigarette, offering the pack up to his blue-eyed friend.

                “Junie’s gonna kill me for smoking this.” Riggs breathed out a laugh with his cloud of smoke. He looked drained. The human couldn’t help but feel responsible.

                “Shit man, I’m sorry for all of that. If I had known…”

                “You still would have brought him. Come on Jason, I know you.” His keen eyes narrowed for a moment. “Well I used to know you. Before you holed yourself up at that farm of yours.”

                “I’m not getting into this right now,” the other man looked like he might protest, but Jason put his hand up. “Luke, I really don’t have time. Okay? Maybe… I dunno. I’ll try to stop by again once this is all over.”

                “I’m sure the pups would like to see their Uncle again.” Riggs said lightly, ash-ing his cigarette and taking a sip of whiskey.

                “Yeah, I’d like to see them too.” The bearded man said the words, but he felt disconnected from the feeling. He hadn’t missed someone in a long time. Not really. That feeling belonged to the other side of the glass he lived his life behind. The men sat silently sipping their drinks and smoking, thinking about past days.

                Then they heard the screaming.

 

                “What in the blessed Sun are you doing in here?” Jason demanded as he and Riggs crowded into the small room. Lillivander lay, shaking and contorted in pain, on the table.

                “You’d better watch that attitude with me, Jason Tides.” June glowered at the man as she did her best to get more of the healing concoction in her patient’s wounds than all over his heaving chest and stomach. “Here, hold him as still as you can. It’ll be worse for him if we have to reapply.”

                The dark-skinned man took hold of a slender hand in each of his own, noticing a glimmer of gray as the creature turned to him before going limp. Whatever pain he was in, Lilly was free of it for a little while. “He, uh…” the man cleared his throat. “I think he passed out.”

                “Finally,” the redhead wiped her brow with her wrist. “I don’t know how the two of you ended up crossing paths, but for your own good I’d get rid of this kid fast.” June pursed her lips, clearly not happy with what she felt compelled to say. “What attacked his village, well…” she hesitated, green eyes glancing over the pale form on her table. “It sounded like Eradicators.”

                Riggs whistled, sounding impressed and concerned in the same breath. Jason cursed softly. Eradicators were the worst of the worst the supernatural and human worlds had to offer, all rolled into one. If someone was willing to bankroll the utter annihilation of a people, and was either too greedy or naïve to care about doing a deal with these particular devils, then Lillivander really didn’t stand a chance on his own.

                “I hear you June,” the bearded man murmured, carding his hand through his hair. He really needed another cigarette right about now. “I really do, I know you’d never turn someone away unless it was absolutely what you thought was right. I just,” he licked his lips. “He’s offering me something I can’t say no to. I-I have to take this chance. My soul is worth it.”

                “Of course, it is brother.” Riggs clapped him on the shoulder, smiling even when the room was so grim.

                “Well, then let me give you a few things. For my peace of mind.” June stood up, brushing her hands on her long skirt.

                This was what he had to do. No matter what the possible cost.

                He tried to tell himself it was just about the soul, that the exhausted young man slumped over on the table didn’t even enter into it. Yeah, he was definitely no one’s hero.


End file.
